Who runs ShareNotes
ShareNotes (sharenotes.dev) is run by a small team based in Sri Lanka. To reach us about privacy, for example to ask for a note or your feedback to be deleted, use the Suggestion box in the site header.
What we store when you share a note
- The note itself: its text, and its title if you give one.
- Its settings: expiry time, delete-after-reading, and PIN mode. If you set a PIN, we store a one-way bcrypt hash of it, never the PIN.
- Timestamps: when the note was created, last changed and last opened.
We don't ask for your name, email or an account to create or read a note.
Please know what a note is and isn't:
- Notes are not end-to-end encrypted. They are stored on our server in a form we can read, and we can access them, for example to remove abuse.
- Anyone with the link can open a note, unless you locked it for viewing with a PIN.
- A note without a PIN can also be edited by anyone with the link.
Don't use ShareNotes for passwords, keys or anything you would not hand to a server.
How long notes are kept
- Notes with a timer (1 hour, 24 hours, 7 days or 1 month) are deleted when the timer runs out. In the web editor, 1 month is the default.
- Notes with no timer are deleted after 6 months without being opened. These are "Keep" notes in the editor, and API notes sent without an expiry.
- Notes created through AI assistants expire after 7 days unless the assistant chooses otherwise.
- Delete-after-reading notes have their text wiped the first time they are opened.
- Expired and used notes are removed from the database by a daily cleanup.
We occasionally make a backup of the database. A backup contains the notes that existed when it was made, including ones that have since expired or been deleted, and is kept until we delete it.
Logs and IP addresses
Our web server keeps a log of requests:
- your IP address;
- the time;
- the address you requested, which includes note links;
- the referring page;
- your browser's user-agent string.
These logs are kept without a fixed deletion schedule. Separately, IP addresses are held briefly in memory to enforce rate limits and the limit on wrong PIN guesses; they are not written to the database. For overall statistics we keep daily counts of notes created and of failed attempts, and those counts carry no IP addresses or content.
Our server is in the United States.
Cookies and storage in your browser
sn_unlock_…cookie: after you enter a note's PIN, this lets your browser open and edit that note for 7 days without asking again. It contains a signed token, not your PIN, and scripts on the page cannot read it.- Google Analytics cookies (
_gaand similar): see below. - Local storage holds:
- your light or dark theme;
- whether you've seen the "What's new" list;
- a list of notes you recently created or opened on this device, with the first 50 characters of each.
- App files are cached by a service worker so the site loads quickly and works as an installable app.
Other services involved
- Google Analytics. We measure page views and a few events, such as a note being created or failing to save. We never send note text. Google receives your IP address and device information under Google's privacy policy.
- Google reCAPTCHA. When you create a note in the web editor, reCAPTCHA checks for spam, and Google receives information about your browser and how it interacts with the page. reCAPTCHA is covered by Google's privacy policy and terms.
- Anthropic. Messages sent through the Suggestion box are reviewed with the help of an AI assistant built on Anthropic's Claude, which helps us plan improvements. It never receives your email address, and it is not given your notes.
- AI assistants you connect. If you use ShareNotes through an assistant over MCP, the text also passes through that assistant's own service, under its terms.
We don't sell data, show ads or use advertising trackers.
The Suggestion box
When you send feedback, we store:
- your message and its category;
- the page you were on;
- your email address, if you choose to give one. We use it only to reply.
Feedback is kept until we delete it.
Your choices
- Limit how long a note lives: choose a short timer or delete-after-reading when you share it.
- Ask us to delete a note: send its link through the Suggestion box. Because there are no accounts, we can't otherwise tell which notes are yours.
- Ask us to delete your feedback: send a request through the Suggestion box, including the email address you used, if you gave one.
- Block analytics: your browser's privacy settings or a content blocker can stop Google Analytics; ShareNotes still works.
Children
ShareNotes is not directed at children under 13.
Changes
When this policy changes we update this page and the date at the top. The rules for using ShareNotes are in the terms of use.